Typewriting machine



Jan J. WALDHEIM TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Feb. 16, 1923 Patented Jan.12, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT oF JOHN WALDHEIM, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY,ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPE- WBITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ACORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPEWBITING MACHINE.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WALDHEIM, a citizen of the United States,residing in Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TypewritingMachines, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to front-strike typewriting machines, and moreparticularly to the arrangement of the type-bars thereof and thetype-segment whereon the type-bars are pivoted and whereby they areguided in their operative movements between normal and printingpositions; and has for its principal object to increase the number oftypes which may be efficiently employed, or conversely, to reduce thespace required for a given number of type-bars on the type-bar segment,without necessitating a general rearrangement and rede signing of thetype-action. The invention is illustrated in connection with anUnderwood typewriter. 1

In typewriting machines of thiskind, the type-bars are fulcrumed atspaced points along an arcuate fulcrum wire which extends within andnear the periphery of a type-bar segment having slots for guiding thetype-bars in their operative movements. Each type-bar has a body-portionjust long enough to swing to the center of the segment and ahead-portion at the outer end of the body-portion and arranged at anangle to the body-portion such that the type will occupy a verticalposition when at the printing point. The sharpness of the angles formedby the head and body portions of the type-bars increases progressivelyfrom the type-bars which are centrally located, to the extreme outertype-bars of the set, and consequently the amount of space required bythe type-heads in their normal positions upon their support increasesprogressively from the middle outward, the n r se being quite markedamongthe extreme outer type-heads. Type-bar segments have heretoforebeen slotted to guide all of the typebars in planes perpendicular to thelane, of writing, and the planes of these slots have converged radiallyto a common intersecting line, the position of which line is theposition of the bend of the ed. rom the beds of h ba w he bar is inrinting position, Where this Application filed February 16, 1923. SerialNo. 619,394.

plan is followed, the slots in the segment are necessarily spaced apartamounts corresponding to the space required by the respective type-headsin normal position. This has a decided limiting effect upon the capacitof the segment.

In e ecting the object of the present invention, the slots for thetype-bars in the segment, instead of being cut in planes all convergingto a common intersectin line, are, as to any desired number thereo ateach side of the center of the segment, cut in planes which diverge byprogressively increasing angles from such former common intersectingline; and the bars, beyond the segment, are bent from the planes of theslots at such angles as to redirect the bars to a point common to all,at or near the printing point. The area of the sector described by theplanes of the end slots is reduced, with a corresponding increase in thefanning eflect of the typebars towards the pad position.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

. Figure 1 is a view, in front elevation, of the platen, andsegment-plate on which the type-bars are pivoted; one of the bars beingshown in printing position.

Figure 2 is a developed plan view, showing a part of the types andtype-bars in their normal position.

Figure 3 is a view, in cross-sectional side elevation, through thesegment-plate, show ing the mounting of one of the bars thereon.

The typewriting machine comprises a movable carriage, not shown, inwhich is mounted a platen 10. The usual keys, not shown, operatekey-levers, not shown, to cause bell-cranks 11, through studs 12 car-'ried thereby and slots 13 in type-bar's 14:, to swing the type-barsaround a fulcrumwire 16, upon which they are pivotally supported ina'type-bar segment 17, -to carry the type-blocks 18 from normalpositions, upon a segmental support or basket18, upward and rearward tostrike against the front face of the platen, Each type-bar 14, comprises a body-portion 19, which swings to the center of the segment,anda head-portion '20, on which the type-block is mounted, and whichisg'u-ided to the printing point by a type-guide 22. "Shoulders 23 onthe ype-ba s actuate e n nensalbar 24 m the course of the upwardswinging movement, and thereby operate the escapement mechanism, notshown, which controls the letterfeed movements of the carriage.

As shown in Figure 1, the bars st *ike radially to a common point 25,from which point the free. type-block-bearing ends of the bars areollset at 27, so that each and every typeblocl-:, in the printingposition of the bar, is vertically disposed The pivots of the bars are,however, pitched along the segment-plate at increasing angular distancesto either side of the printing point, and, consequently, the amount ofangular offset of the type-block from the bar proper increases as eitherside of the bank of bars is approached. This is clearly shown in Figure2. Itwill be noted from an inspection of Eigure 2 that, in order toaccommodate the type-blocks in their normal position of rest, and toprovide ample clearance, each from those adjacent thereto, the blocksare pitched progressively farther apart as the sides of the bank of barsare approached. Heretofore, as above stated, this increasing pitchdistance apart of the blocks in their position of rest has necessitatedan increase in the pitch distances apart of the pivots of the bars onthe segment, from the center of the latter to either side thereof.

In the present structure, as heretofore in the art, the slots 26 whichguide the bars at and near their pivots in the segment plate, are cut inplanes, all of which are vertical to the printing plane, that is, to aplane vertical at the front of the platen. Also, as heretofore in theart, the planes of the more centrally located slots, which form acentral. group, converge to the common intersecting point or line 25.Referring, however, to the left-hand portion of Figure 1, it will benoted that, toward either end of the segment, certa n of the slots 26,which form end groups, are not in 'wlanes which include the point butthat, beginning with a slot some dis tance removed from the end of thesegment. they are in planes which intersect a vertical planeperpendicular to the platen at the printing point, below the point 25,and that the distance of such intersection below the point 25progressively increases until such intersection of the plane of the endslot is found to be considerably to one side or l elow the point 25. Inother words, as the ends of the segment are approached, the planes ofthe slots 26 diverge more and more from those imaginary planes which, asin the case of the more centrally located type-bars, would includethe-pivots of the bars and the common center point 25.

In order that the length of the type-bars between the type-faces andfulcrum-wire may be uniform for all the bars, and in order that theangle of the offset may be determined solely by the angle at which thepivot of the bar is set to one or the other side of the printing point,the bars which lie in the slots 26 are bent, as at 28, between thesegment-plate and their free ends. The bends 28 of the bars are such asto direct the free ends of the bars, as shown in Figure 1., to tiecommon point 25; and, as the planes of the slots 26 cut farther andfarther below the point 25, approaching the ends of the segment, thebends 28 are correspondingly increased in amplitude.

It will be seen, by an inspection of Figure 2, that the bodies 19 of thecentral group of type-bars extend forwardly at right angles to thesegment17, and that the portions 19 of the end groups of type-bars alsoextend forwardly at right angles to the segment to the bends 28, fromwhich bends the bodies 19 of said type-bars diverge to the bends 27which are disposed at varying distances to one side of the planes inwhich the portions 19 of the type-bars are disposed.

It will be understood that it is desirable to bend the type-bars of theend groups at 28 divergingly from the planes in which the portions 19lie to avoid undue interference of adjacent type-bars when one isadvancing toward the printing point while another is receding from theprinting point. In practice, the blanks of the type-bars are alike, andthe head 20 that carries the typeblock is made a little long, to projectthrough the end of the adjusted type-block. These blanks are flattenedand bent in a forming-die to their final angular form. The type-block isgaged and soldered to the head-section 20, and any portion of the barthat projects through is ground off flush with the end of thetype-block. Thus a complete type-bar system may be assembled fromuniform type-bar blanks, and any slight variation in the linear lengthof the bar, due to the angular formations therein, is corrected by thegaging of the type to be soldered thereto, and all the bars from theirtype-faces to the fulcrum-wire must be of uniform length.

By equallyspacing the type-bars in the type-bar segment, they may bearranged in more condensed relation than practiced heretofore, so thatin the present machine forty-six type-bars occupy substantially the sameangular space (120) of the type-bar segment that is usually filled upwith fortytwo type-bars. The condensed arrangement ofthe type-bars issuch that at least three type-blocks lie outside of or beyond a planewhich is perpendicular to the segment and which extends through theportion of the extreme end type-bar which is nearest to the segment. Theequal spacing of the typebars in the segment also greatly simplifies theoperation and reduces the cost of machining the slots in said segment,since the cutting tool is relatively shifted with refer ence to thesegment always through the same angular distance to the next slot,instead of a varying distance as heretofore. The relative shifting ofthe cutting tool is around a common center for all of the type-bars ofthe middle group, containing most of the typebars; it being notnecessary to change the angle of the cutting tool with reference to thesegment except for the comparatively few type-bars included in the twoend groups.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, andportions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine, the combi nation with a platen, of a systemof about forty-six type-bars printing at a common point against saidplaten, a type-bar segment, and a curved wire'on said segment to supportsaid type-bars and form their pivots, said segment having equally spacedslots occupying about 120, in which slots the type-bars are arranged,the type-bars being bent at their forward ends atincreasing angulardistances from their bodies, type-blocks on the ends of the type-bars,the rear ends of all of the type-barsbeing perpendicular to the type-barsegment, the type-bars being divided into three groups, namely, a mainmiddle group, which comprises nearly all of the type-bars, and two sidegroups, each of which comprises comparatively few type-bars, the bodiesof the type-bars of the middle group being straight so that the spacingof the type-bars of said middle group, at their bent ends, correspondswith their spacing at the segment, the spacing of the type-bars of eachside group varying at their bent ends from the spacing at the segment, atype-bar basket, the type-bars of each side group being bent in front ofthe segment, so that the bodies of said lastnamed type-bars fanoutwardly towards their bent forward ends, the extent of fanning of eachextreme bar being suffi cient to provide space for three type-blocks inthe type-bar basket beyond the extended plane of that portion of thelast-named typebar which is perpendicular to the type-bar segment.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combi nation with a platen, of a systemof typebars printing at a common point against said platen, a type-barsegment on which the type-bars are pivotally supported, the pivots beingat right angles to said typebars, all of the pivots lying in a singleplane, and a type-block on each type-bar, the typeblocks being arrangedat increasing angular distances on the type-bars, from the middletowards each side of the system, which causes the system of type-blocksto occupy substantially more space than the type-bars occupy in thesegment, the type-bars being equally spaced in the type-bar segment andextending perpendicularly from said segment, a few of said bars at thesides of the system being bent at a point near the segment to fanoutwardly towards their respective type-blocks, the space occupied bythe type-blocks exceeding the space occupied by the type-bars at thesegment by an amount which permits at least three type-blocks to lieoutside of a plane perpendicular to the segment and extending throughthe perpendicular part of the extreme side type-bar.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen, of a seriesof about forty-six type-bars printing at a common point against saidplaten, said type-bars occupying an angular space of about 120, asegment to support said type-bars, said type-bars being of equal length,permitting the use therefor of blanks of uniform size, and being equallyspaced in said segment, said type-bars being divided into three groups,namely, a middle group, including nearly all of the type-bars, and twoside groups, and a type-bar basket, the type-bars of the middle groupextending perpendicularly from the type-bar segment-to the typebarbasket, the type-bars of each side group extending perpendicularly fromthe segment attheir rear ends to a plane in front of the segment, fromwhich plane the typebars of said side groups extend forwardly to thebasket and fan outwardly from each other, so as to be spread at theirforward ends to provide clearance for their respective types.

JOHN WALDHEIM.

